Monday, July 22, 2013

Before John and I went swimming this morning, I brewed some CrioBru...a new product we discovered in our trip to Utah . Roasted, ground Cacao beans...now I make it almost every day in our new french press.

Since I was not in the mood for a warm or hot drink, I added ice and coconut milk ....

By the way, we had a good swim even though I did not eat breakfast...except for a handful of green grapes in our yard...the cacao gives energy. CrioBru is 10 calories a cup by itself. Some folks add sugar. I like mine without sugar.
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Hmm.why is this French Press called a Brazil Coffee maker.... This is supposed to be the best one on the market. $20 at the Crio store in Lindon (tax included)

Friday, July 19, 2013

We first heard of Crio when we saw a big attractive and intriguing sign with those words on it on a building, as we were riding N on I-15 from Provo to Lehi in Utah on July 10th. I think we instinctively knew it had something to do with Cacao beans...maybe from hearing something about it long ago. 5 days later, John was looking at his cousin's website and saw reference to it again. She is an MD and a Naturopath with a clinic in Lehi. Her clinic has doctors that see and help patients and sells all kinds of health products, nutritional supplements, etc. in their dispensary. The had a display table full of Crio products in their waiting room.This is how we realized that Crio must be something very good for your health.The next day, we went down to BYU campus to enjoy the bookstore and grounds and on the way back, saw that Crio building again. It is west of the freeway, as you travel north from Orem. Here is the address:

As we passed the building , we recalled the night before when we went on their website. We knew they had a store at their plant, with free samples. So we took the next exit and backtracked a bit and found the place.Walking in through the door is an experience...the smell of rich cocoa just fills you with some kind of euphoria! I had to take some pictures. No one was around at first, but we felt welcome because the set up was so inviting and interesting! Love that mural!

A real cocoa pod with the beans on display...plus some of their packaged products.

The mottled cocoa colored walls frame their logo and other designs very nicely...Hot water ready to go for making sample in the French press. Liquid sweeteners, and creamers for those who want them.

It takes 10 minutes to brew the Crio. Crio is from the word Criollo, the best cacao beans in the world

Free samples of a cocoa beans covered in chocolate. Take a bite and experience real cocoa nibs. MMMMmmmmmm.

Lots of bags on the shelf. They cost less here than on amazon.com or on the Crio website.

They had t-shirts, mugs, French presses and a stevia product called Trulicious, which is better than Truvia.

Here is a gift basket they sell...

When our curiosity was at its peak, Jon Fotheringham, co-owner and CEO, came into the room to welcome us and teach us all about the healthy benefits of brewed cacao beans, how to use a French press...and give us some samples .

Some of the things we learned:

1. A cup of Crio has 1/10th the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee.
2. The active ingredient in Crio (or any cacao beans) is theobromine ...which give the drinker a feeling of gentle euphoria, sustained energy, and supresses the appetite somewhat (which is why people who want to lose weight use this product.)
3. A 6 oz. cup of CrioBru has 10 calories and 150 % more anti-oxidants than pure pomegranate juice.
4. Their are many different flavors/kinds of cacao beans, just as their are different flavors/kinds of apples.
5. The most popular item that CrioBru sells is Cavalla. Then Maya.
6. After you brew some, you can reuse the grounds by adding a bit more fresh grounds and then re-brew. You can do that one more time, too, add a bit more fresh grounds and re-brew. Use the leftover grounds (full of fiber and nutrients) later in your baked goods like brownies...or compost them. (don't let dogs near this compost, though.)

Suffice it to say, we bought a French press and several bags of Crio Bru right there. We heartily recommend it to all! If you live in Utah...go to the plant and you will save money! They take credit cards.

Jon told us about Decadence Cafe which sells drink made of Crio...they also sell gelato and bakery goods...so we checked that out, also...have Jon give you instruction on how to get there from his Crio facility. It seemed like it was just down the street and under the freeway...here is the address...